Uber, Lyft ban maskless rider seen hitting, coughing on driver in viral video
In the dashcam clip, a woman hits Subkahar Khadka, snatches his mask and is also believed to have sprayed him with pepper spray.
Rideshare companies Uber and Lyft have banned a woman who was seen coughing on and assaulting an Uber driver after she and her friends refused to comply with the company’s mask mandate.
In the viral video, a woman is seen hitting the driver, Subkahar Khadka, and is also believed to have sprayed him with pepper spray. She can also be seen grabbing the driver’s cellphone and ripping off his face mask.
In the video, one woman is heard shouting, “F**k the masks!”
The incident happened on Sunday in San Francisco.
In a new video, the woman who assaulted Khadka threatens to sue Uber for banning her. She ended the video declaring “That’s why I take Lyft.”
Not anymore. That company has banned her as well.
“Although this incident did not involve the Lyft platform, the unacceptable treatment of the driver in this video compelled us to permanently remove the rider from the Lyft community,” the company said in a statement. “Driving in a pandemic is not easy. Please wear a mask, respect one another, and be a good person.”
Khadka said he believed the women assaulted him because he is a South Asian immigrant.
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“If I was another complexion, I would have not gotten that treatment from them,” Khadka told a local CBS affiliate. “The moment I opened my mouth to speak, they realized I’m among one of them, so it’s easy for them to intimidate me.”
He said Uber gave him $120 to clean his car, but he contended the amount was not enough.
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A GoFundMe was started by Cyan Banister, who was one of the first investors in Uber, and is “appalled by the fact that Uber hasn’t done the right thing.” The fundraiser has raised more than $33,000, surpassing their $20,000 goal, garnered to help Khadka with living expenses because he is not able to work due to the trauma.
San Francisco Police are investigating the incident, and no charges have yet been filed.
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